On Tuesday, Panera Bread announced that it will remove all artificial food additives from their food menu by the end of 2016.

"Panera is on a mission to help fix a broken food system," Scott Davis, Panera Bread chief concept officer, said in a statement according to CBS News.

The announcement means that Panera Bread's food items will no longer include things like artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors or preservatives.

"I want to serve food that I want to eat," Ron Shaich, founder and CEO of Panera Bread, said in an interview with USA Today.

According to Shaich, the company has "intentions" of having the same artificial-free rule for most of their new food items.

According to USA Today, for example, the sandwich restaurant's Rrast beef will no longer be made with caramel color. The cilantro jalapeño hummus will drop ascorbic acid and tocopherol, tara gum, carrageenan, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. Meanwhile, summer corn chowder will loose tapioca dextrin, modified corn starch, autolyzed yeast extract, maltodextrin, coconut oil derived from triglycerides and other artificial flavors. Even Panera Bread's horseradish will lose an additive: calcium disodium EDTA.

"Panera's intention to eliminate artificial food additives is an important step in the right direction," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of food safety, health and nutrition advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, to USA Today.

Shaich said that the change was inspired by "millennials."

"Millennials understand that prevention is far better than reacting to a disease," he said.

Panera Bread has not disclosed how much this change will cost the company or customers, but Shaich did say that the biggest challenge would be working with suppliers.

"We have to go to our vendors, and they have to go to their vendors," he said.

The restaurant hopes to eventually eliminate high fructose corn syrup from some of their beverages as well.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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